Head-rest for car-seats.



G. R. SAUNDERS.

HEAD REST POR GAR SEATS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 26, 1912.

1,083,633, Patented Jan.6, 1914.

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CHARLES R. SAUNDERS, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

HEAD-REST FOR CAB-SEATS.

nosaess.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 26, 1912.

Patented J an. 6, 191%.

Serial No. 717,101.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CrrARLns R. SAUNDERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond, in the county of Henrico, State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Head Rests for Car-Seats; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to certain novel and useful improvements in head rests for car seats, and has particular application to a device of this class adapted to be applied to the backs of the car seats of day coaches and railway trains, the seats of interurban trolley cars and the like.

In carrying out my invention it is my purpose to provide a simple, cheap and efficient type of head rest which may be readily and quickly applied to and removed from the back of the seat and which is so compact and composed of such relatively few parts that it may be conveniently handled by the passenger or porter.

Furthermore, I propose to manufacture my head rest of sections of flexible or resilient material such for instance as spring metal, the parts being so assembled and cor related that the rest will readily yield or accommodate itself to any movement of the head of the passenger, so that while it forms a comfortable rest, it will at all times eiliciently perform its supporting function irrespective of the position of the head resting thereon.

With the above recited objects and others of a similar nature in view, my invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts set forth in and falling within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my head rest applied to the back of a seat, such back being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the letter A designates the ordinary seat back, while B indicates my head rest as an entirety. This head rest comprises an inverted U-shaped clamping member 1 which is preferably formed of a strip or band of sheet metal possessing sufficient resiliency or spring to enable it to be slipped over the edge of and clamped upon the back of car seats of different thicknesses 0r sizes. The front arm of the clamp is shown at 6, while the rear arm indicated at 7 is formed with a compound curve or bend, so that the depressed section 9 of the arm will bind or bear against the rear face of the seat back.

The supporting standard or shank of the device is designated as a whole by the number 10 and is also preferably formed of a strip or band of sheet metal possessing the requisite resiliency and temper to enable it to yield readily when the head is resting upon the head plate 11, without such shank breaking or being distorted or bent out of working position. This shank is constructed to have a lower section 12 which lies against and conforms to the shape of the front arm 6 of the clamp and is secured to the latter by means of the rivets 13. Above the top of the clamp this supporting shank is bent to form the rearwardly extending longitudinally disposed U-shaped portion 14: and the upper, normally horizontally disposed arm 15 which projects forwardly of this clamp and is curved downwardly as at 16 and thence upwardly at its terminal as at 17 To the end or terminal of the shank is pivoted as at 18 the head plate 11. As will be seen by reference to the drawing this plate, which is also preferably formed of a strip of sheet metal capable of being bent if desired to accommodate it to the convenience of the wearer, is curved in approximately semicircular form so that it has the two oppositely extending end sections 19 which are adapted to bear against the base of the head at the sides thereof. This curved plate it will be noted extends at its point of juncture with the arm 15 at right angles to the latter with the central section 20 of the plate normally lying in substantially a horizontal plane, while the arm 15 slopes upward and rearward from the central section of the curved plate. This is an important feature of my invention, for when the device is, in use and therefore the plate and arm slightly depressed, the neck and base of the head are supported by the plate, while the arm 15 in addition to forming a part of the shank for the plate also bears against and supports the central back portion of the head immediately above the base of the latter. It will therefore be noted that the head and neck are supported over a considerable area thus oonducing to the comfort of the wearer. Furthermore, I wish to direct particular attention to the fact that by my peculiar arrangement and construction of spring shank and curved head plate, the head and neck supporting parts thus formed will yield to the movement of the head of the passenger whether it be from side to side or backward and forward, and yet will at all times immediately spring back or return to supporting position.-

The front edge 21 of the curved head plate is turned or rolled as at 22 to avoid a sharp cutting edge and to provide a smooth comfortable surface, against which the neck of the passenger may rest without inconvenience.

It will be noted that by constructing my device as described I provide a head rest wherein the head plate is an approximately normally horizontally disposed curved plate in the nature of a strip supported upon the arm section of the supporting standard or shank in such a manner that the shank itself at such arm portion forms an additional means for supporting the head.

While I have herein shown and described one particular embodiment of my invention, I wish it .to be understood that I do not confine myself to all the precise details of construction herein set forth by way of illustration as modification and variation may be made without'departing from the spirit of the invention or exceeding the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is: V

1. A device of the class described comprising an attaching member, a resilient supporting shank secured thereto and a plate carried by the'supporting shank, said plate and the adjacent portion of the shank being adapted to contact with and support the head.

2. The combination with an attaching member, of a resilient supporting shank attached thereto and terminating in a section extending forwardly of the attaching member, and a head plate carried at the end of the forwardly extending portion of the shank, said plate and forwardly extending shank section both being adapted to bear against and support the head.

3. The combination with a U-shaped at taching clamp, of a shank comprising a lower portion conforming with and attached to the front part of the clamp, said shank being then bent to form a rearwardly extending U-shaped portion and a forwardly extending normally substantially horizontally disposed arm section which projects beyond the front of the clamp, and a curved head plate pivoted at its center to the end of the arm section transversely thereof, said head plate and arm section both forming head supporting means.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES R. SAUNDERS. Witnesses:

R. A. HALE, K. R. SAUNDERS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

